I Heard The News Today, Oh Boy
by Bean0505
Summary: A lost scene from 'Not Pictured'. Veronica goes to find Logan after learning Aaron was murdered. LoVe will always find a way. :


**Summary:** A lost scene from 'Not Pictured'. Veronica goes to find Logan after learning Aaron was murdered. LoVe will always find a way. :)

**Disclaimer:** I still own nothing. Nada. Nil. Zilch. It's a little sad, actually ... ;)

* * *

We're going to pick it up right about here :

" ... I was a little surprised to find, you know, Logan on the couch, but it was better than finding him elsewhere, right?" Keith finishes throwing a grin in Logan's direction. Veronica glances over as well, only instead of seeing him still standing in the kitchen, she catches Logan's silhouette as the door quietly shuts, leaving them to their reunion.

"Now, what were you saying about the Casablancas boy?" ...

* * *

Veronica filled her father in on last night events as they both ate bacon and eggs. Keith almost chocked a few times as she described the scene atop the Neptune Grand and how close she had, once again, come to such danger. Now she watches her father as he walks down the small hallway and into his room. She couldn't stop the stupid smile that covered her face, even if she wanted to. Her cheeks were even starting to hurt a bit from the strain, but she gladly welcomed it.

Last night, from the moment she saw Cassidy Casablancas' name listed under Not Pictured on the little league team photo till she opened her eyes this morning, had been a blur of startling truths followed by utter devastation.

But that was all erased the moment she heard her fathers voice and looked up to see him coming into the kitchen. Alive. Home. Safe.

She starts cleaning up the dishes from the breakfast Logan had prepared and at the thought of him, her smile grows a little wider. She wouldn't have made it through last night without Logan.

Literally.

Veronica's smile falters and slides downward as images from last night replay themselves, most frightening was the look on Cassidy's face as he took aim with the gun. She had no doubt that he would've pulled the trigger.

Had Logan not arrived when he did, had he not talked her out of putting a bullet into Cassidy's head, had he not taken care of her when she thought the most important thing in her world was gone ... Veronica knew she wouldn't have made it through last night without Logan.

~~~~ Flashback ~~~~

_From the moment Veronica thought of Mac, she focused all her energy on consoling her friend and explained everything to her as gently as possible._

_Once Mac was calm, they all gave their statements to the deputies. Luckily Lamb was no where to be seen ... apparently there was something else more important that needed his attention. Veronica couldn't have been happier for it._

_It was well after 2am by the time they were done and Logan insisted on driving Mac home. With Mac safely in her house, Logan turned the car towards Veronica's apartment. The drive back was silent, Veronica sat starring out the front window the look on her face blank. If it wasn't for her hand reaching over to tightly grip his, Logan wouldn't have known she was there._

_He pulled into the parking lot and into the spot her La Baron would normally occupy. Beside them was the empty spot for Keith's car, Logan suspected it was probably parked at the airport. He made a mental note to have someone pick it up._

_Logan cut the engine and felt Veronica's hand slip out of his to undo her seatbelt. He didn't know what to say to her and he had a feeling that nothing he could say would make a difference anyway. She was in such pain and it was killing him that there was nothing he could do to stop it._

_He heard her quietly sniff beside him and felt her shift in her seat. Logan turned toward her and opened his arms as Veronica crawled easily over the console and into his lap. He gathered her small frame in his arms tightly as she broke apart and started to sob into his chest, clinging to him desperately._

_Logan rocked them slowly, his own tears for her pain and the lost man silently running down his cheeks._

"_I'm so sorry." he whispered into her hair gently rubbing circles on her back._

"_What am I going to do?" she whispered , her voice raw. "Without him I have nothing."_

~~~~ end flashback ~~~~

Veronica sees the corner of what she assumes is the morning paper peeking out from underneath a dish towel on the counter.

'_Making breakfast and bringing in the morning paper ... Logan Echolls may be domesticated yet.'_ Veronica thinks with a smirk.

At first she resolves to not look it ... She doesn't need to look at the paper to know the big news of the day in Neptune. Undoubtably there would a blaring headline sensationalizing the gory details of last nights events at the Grande.

Her resolve lasts all of 1 minute before her curiosity over takes and she grabs the paper. Steeling herself, she unfolds it and glances at the front page.

Gasping, Veronica almost drops the paper to the floor. The headline does indeed outline an event last night at the Grande, but not what she expected.

**HOLLYWOOD HEART THROB AARON ECHOLLS FOUND DEAD**

She reads it again a few times and skims over the attached story - in his room at the Neptune Grande, two bullets to the head, no witnesses, no surveillance footage ... in other words ... no leads. Instinct tells her this reeks of Clarence Wiedman, but good luck to anyone trying to prove it.

Letting out a cross between a laugh and a sob, Veronica leans against the counter for support. She stands weeping silently for a moment. Not tears of sorrow for the man that was killed, but more relief that it's over. Really, truly over. The monster was slain and justice (at least in some form) was served. Justice for Lily, for Lynn, for Logan.

"Oh god, Logan!" she gasps aloud as the realization hits her that Logan brought in the paper and has probably seen the headline.

Logan - who she wouldn't have made it through the night without, who stood here in her kitchen as she slept and prepared breakfast - all the while knowing that his own father had been killed. In the very hotel he lives in, the hotel he just witnessed a childhood friend jump off (after learning that said friend sent a bus load of their peers over a cliff to their deaths, blew up the mayors plane, raped and intended to kill the girl he loves).

She's dialing his cellphone before she even realizes and isn't surprised when it goes straight to voice mail.

"Hi, it's Logan with today's inspirational message ... 'True peace is not merely the absence of tension: it is the presence of justice.' Martin Luther King, Jr."

Veronica hangs up not wanting to leave a message. She wants to talk to Logan, face to face. With the hotel being 'ground zero', Veronica immediately knows she won't find him there, but she has an idea where he might be if his intent is to hide.

"Dad..." Veronica yells, her eyes back on the newspaper. "You better come see this!"

* * *

She finds him exactly where she'd thought and she's sure to get questioned about how she found him. She never told him that she knew of his little hideaway, never disclosed how she had followed Logan the day they watched they video showing Lynn falling from the bridge. She had tailed him as he drove around until he found the same angle that the camera had shown. She had watched as he made his way through the small bunch of trees disappearing from sight and when he was gone for over a minute, Veronica had climbed from her car and followed his path.

Today she walks down the same path and sees the prone figure of Logan sitting, looking out over the water. She says nothing, just sits down next to him as close as she can get. Without breaking his gaze from the water, Logan moves his arm around her tucking her into his side.

Resting her head on his shoulder, Veronica draws in a deep breath. The ocean air combined with Logan's cologne calms her and she relaxes, snuggling further into his side. She wraps her arms around him as he turns his head down slightly to plant a kiss on the top of her head.

Neither of them speak for the longest time, they just sit there wrapped in one another looking out as the bright morning sun dances over the water, off in the distance the Coronado Bridge looks almost picturesque. It's a beautiful morning and despite everything that's happened in the last 24hrs, Veronica feels an odd sense of peace sitting there with Logan.

Shifting to look up at Logan, he looks down at her and smiles warmly. She studies him for a moment. She honestly had no idea what kind of state she was going to find him in. What is the normal reaction when one finds out that their abusive, misogynist, murdered of a father is dead?

"Log.." Veronica starts gently.

"How's your dad?" Logan asks, smile still in place, cutting her off.

The sincerity in his voice floors Veronica. Not that she doesn't think Logan is actually concerned about her father ... but ... with his father being recently deceased ... it was the last thing she expected from him.

"He's good, thinks he might send Lamb a muffin basket in thanks for making him get off the plane. For once, Lamb being a complete asshole worked in our favor."

Logan chuckles softly, "You'd think there would've been something in the news about hell freezing over."

"Logan, your dad ..."

"My ... Aaron is dead. Your dad is alive, Veronica. All seems right in the world as far as I'm concerned." Logan shrugs to compliment his nonchalant attitude. "Just call me 'Little Orphan Annie'!" He suggests with a smirk.

Veronica almost wants to laugh at the absurdity of his comment and the corners of her mouth twitch some, but she reminds herself that there is a serious issue here and he is just trying to avoid by deflecting with humor. Classic Logan.

Veronica reaches up and makes Logan look down to her. She holds his eye for a moment. "Logan, really, how are you?"

"Honestly, I'm ..." Logan sighs, knowing she's not going to let it drop, "I'm relieved. Is that horrible? My only remaining parent was murdered last night leaving me officially alone in this world, I spent the better part of the morning at the morgue identifying the body ... and I'm relieved?"

Veronica shakes her head, "If it is, then I'm horrible too. For the first time since Lily was murdered ... I feel ... safe."

Logan nods in understanding, thinking how he feels safe for the first time ever. Well, at least since he learned that the 'Big Bad Wolf' wasn't just a character from a children's story, but was also the man living down the hall.

"And Logan," Veronica looks back up at him meaningfully, "You're not alone."

Pulling her back into his side Logan plants another kiss on the top of her head, a relieved smile playing on his lips. "Thanks."

Veronica nods in response and they look back out over the water.

They let the silence settle over them for a few more moments, neither one too eager to leave and rejoin the rest if the world.

"How'd you find me anyway? Hack into my cars LoJack?" Logan asks, not angry that she knows about what he thought was his secret spot, but just out of plain curiosity. Internally he kind of likes that she was able to find him.

Veronica shrugs, "Trade secret." She decides to save the real story for another day.

"Uh huh." Logan smiles, "Well, I'm glad that you did."

Veronica returns his smile, "Me too."


End file.
